An Abnormal Lifestyle
by Moffy
Summary: A sort of tribute to Forget-Me-Not Valley. Jill found it difficult to live with him, but impossible to live without him. JillxMarlin


**Woah! A fanfiction! Do I still write these? I guess I do.. apparently only every few months or so...I suck at this! Haha anyway, I know a lot of people had me on "Author Alert" and "Story Alert" for "Beauty and the Gills" but this (obviously) isn't BATG. I started this a LONG time ago and I really wanted to finish it before I published anything else. I actually started the next chapter of BATG a couple days ago ..it's probably gonna take some brainstorming, but I'll have it done! Eventually! **

**I really hope you guys like this (even if it isn't Gill, Luke, Chase, or Skye *sigh) I really like the character Marlin, and there isn't enough fanfic material on him or any of the forget-me-not people. ANWL was my first Harvest Moon game, so it has a special place in my heart 3 Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon. Natsume does.**

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She awoke with a start.

"Damn alarm clock..." as he knocked it off her nightstand. Of course it didn't break or stop ringing. It just kept making a muffled sound from the floor.

She groaned as she picked it up, set it back on the nightstand, and shut it off. She rubbed her eyes, and made her way to the shower. It felt good as the hot water beat against her back. It was as though it washed away her stress and anxiety.

She blow dried her hair and threw it up in a ponytail. She never got why it always split in two, but it worked. Her friends in high school always told her it was cute, so it couldn't be that bad. She quietly got dressed – so she wouldn't wake her husband or son – and snuck out of the house.

It was about 5 in the morning and already 65 degrees out, so she could tell it was going to be ridiculously hot out that day. Luckily for her, she was a morning person, and could handle getting up before the sun rose to do her work.

She went into the barn – quietly, as not to disturb the animals – and filled their troughs. After she did this, she slipped out to her field, and rang the bell signaling her animals to come outside. It amused her greatly to hear all the startled sounds coming from her animals. They almost glared at her as they made their way outside.

This was her favorite part of the day. Ringing the bell wasn't just for the animals or her entertainment, but it woke up everyone else in the town as well. At first when some of the villagers told her, she felt bad, but everyone – that is, anyone that was responsible – told her that they greatly appreciated it, since it made sure that everyone woke up at a decent hour. She decided that is _was_ a good thing. This way she wouldn't be the only one up at the crack of dawn.

She would then water her crops. It was times like these that she enjoyed the fact that her plots of soil for crops were so small. She hated watering plants.

Once her crops were taken care of, she would carry her chickens out to their pen. This job also included the tedious job of getting all their eggs from them while they were still very irritable.

After her chores for the morning were done, she would take a walk down to the beach while the rest of the town woke up. It was relaxing, and was almost like a separation from anything annoying. The ocean was always calming, and she was never on edge while she was there.

She looked over at Galen's house, which she could see from across the river. He always looked up to her and gave her a slight smile and a small wave before he went back to tending his wife's grave. This was his routine. Ever since Nina had passed, he spent most of his time making sure that there were always flowers blooming around her. The farmer felt so sorry for him. Not only for his loss, but because there was no one around that could sympathize with him. No one else had ever lost anything in this "perfect" little town. Everyone always strolled down the road with smiles plastered to their faces. There were a few people that ever mentioned anything about pain, and even then, they never truly seemed like they had experienced it, just heard about it like it was some faraway ordeal that they couldn't fathom. Regardless, no one ever lost anything like Galen. Nina was all he had...some would have say has.

Some days she would walk across the bridge and say hello. Nobody would ever talk to him, since they couldn't handle that level of grief. Galen was pretty good at handling it, and she could see how he viewed it. He would say things like, " She might be upset that I'm living like this, but I'm too stubborn. That's what she always told me anyway." He then would look up at the blooming cherry tree that grew next to her grave and give it a soft smile.

Talking to Galen was something that the farmer like to do, It left her with a feeling that she did something good. She wasn't sure if a thing like karma existed, but deep down, she somewhat hoped that being there for Galen would help keep her from going through the same sort of pain someday. Well, she knew that one day her husband would die, but she would on occasion selfishly wish that she could die first. The odds, however; were not in her favor on that one, She knew the facts, and it took all the strength she had gained in her life to keep her head up, and a smile on her face. She had to.

The next stop in her day was always Vesta's farm. Vesta sold the best quality seeds by far. Some places in the city were purely in the business for the profit, while Vesta was there because it was her passion. Every morning the farmer would lightly knock on the door, and then enter without waiting for anyone to come and answer.

"There ya are!" Vesta would exclaim the second she saw the farmer, and pull her into a big bear hug. This was pretty much expected. It was basically how Vesta got along with everyone in the village. She was respected, appreciated, and also slightly feared. She was very...eccentric.

"Well of course. You're only the best farmer I know, well, except for me of course." The farmer said with mock sincerity.

"Ha! You_ wish _you were as good as me! If you're so great, then why don't you make your own seeds? Huh?" Vesta put her hands on her hips – a smile behind her eyes.

"Aw, you know I'm kidding! But seriously, we'd be lost without each other. You know you need my business." She folded her arms and appraised Vesta, waiting for her to make the next move.

"You know darn well that I could do business just as easily by sending my crops into the city and make double what I do now!" She proclaimed with fake smugness.

"Ya, but you wouldn't do that. You'd miss this place too much. I don't think you could handle the city..." The farmer said, casually looking around the room as she took a seat at the kitchen table and began to tap her fingers against the worn tablecloth.

"You know what!... you're right." Vesta pulled out a chair and plopped down right across from the farmer, "There's just too much goin on out there. What's so great about being crammed in with all those people in such a dirty place? There's no breathing room. Heck! There's not even enough elbow room!" Vesta let out a hearty laugh that hook the whole house. "How'd a girl like you make it out there anyway?"

She thought back to her old life in the city. There were parties, people, drama, and excitement. "You know, it's really not all that bad. I like it there but...I could tell my life wasn't going to end up the way I wanted it to if I stayed there. She looked at her feet, remembering when she realized this. The look on her boyfriend's face when she told him how she felt about moving into the country, the look of disgust on his face when she begged him to come with her, because she thought he was the one. She remembered the pain of rejection as he tossed her to the side without a second glance. It was as if all that had mattered to him was sex and partying...

"Well you know what? I think you made that right choice in the end." Vesta aid with a smile. That's why they were friends. Vesta was the older sister. It was like she understood how everything worked, and exactly what the best way to handle it was. "Ever since you moved here, you've seemed pretty happy. It works for you, and I know these people love that you moved here." Vesta winked at her, "That husband of yours has never looked happier. Possibly in his life!" The farmer blushed a deep shade of red. She knew how happy they had both become since their marriage. She also remembered the peace of experiencing how well they complimented each other. With her old boyfriend she was constantly trying to impress him, but now she was comfortable around her husband all the time.

"I know, I know. Match made in heaven and all that, right?" She rolled her eyes, stood up, and pushed back her chair, "I gotta get goin'. I'll see ya tomorrow!" As she turned to walk out the door.

"Hey," Vesta said, suddenly serious. The farmer turned to face her. "How's Marlin's health holding up?" This had always been a concern to his family. Ever since Marlin was a kid he had always been prone to illness – something that doctors couldn't really understand. That was why he and Vesta had moved out to the country in the first place.

"I think...he's doing good. I haven't heard him complaining about anything, but he's been known to suffer in silence so..." the farmer trailed off. Marlin had only let her know on a couple occasions when he wasn't feeling well, and each time involved her and their son, Alex, rushing him to Dr. Hardy's. Which was ridiculous, because all he needed to do was take his medication and take a break every so often to recuperate.

"Well tell him that if I find out that he hasn't been taking care of himself I'm gonna go over there and do some persuading myself" She winked at the farmer. The farmer smiled in response and left the little farm.

The farmer always loved talking to Vesta. She could never have imagined a better sister-in-law. There was no one else that she could talk to about all these things. Especially Marlin's health, which frankly, scared her to death. It made her so angry sometimes that he cared so little about what could happen to him if he let it slip. She felt sometimes as if he didn't care if he died, and it worried her. Did he realize what him dying would do to her? To Alex? But then she would laugh. It wasn't that he didn't care, he was just the most stubborn person on the planet. It was just another reason why she loved him.

The farmer sighed as she walked along the dirt road on her way to the bar. Even though it was almost 4 o'clock, she still had time to meet up with Muffy and Griffin before she went home to make dinner.

She poked her head in the door and was met with smiles from Griffin, Muffy, and Gustafa. Even though the 3 of them weren't all that close, they were still good friends to her, and had always been there for her – especially on those nights when she had gotten into some fight with Marlin or her son. "Hiii Jill!" Muffy squealed as she ran around the counter and gave the farmer a huge hug. Well, as huge as a girl that size could manage.

"Hey Muffy. You know I just saw you the other day right?" Jill was completely used to Muffy's over excited outlook, but she wasn't particularly in the mood for it right now. Not after that talk with Vesta.

"Well ya, but I feel like I'm constantly surrounded by guys. It's nice to see another girl around." She said, scratching the back of her head. It was true that Muffy did hang out mostly with guys, but that was her own fault. She _did _work in a bar.

"I bet," Jill said with a smirk, then lowered her voice when she thought Griffin and Gustafa weren't paying them any attention, "How are _things _going?" These _things _referred to Muffy and Griffin's almost relationship. Jill, being Muffy's only close friend, was the one that heard all the details.

Muffy pulled her a little farther away from the guys' conversation. "Honestly, I don't even know anymore. He keeps dropping little hints that he likes me, but then he never _acts_ on anything. It's so frustrating!" Muffy whisper-exclaimed. Jill had been in these situations when she lived in the city. Wondering if a guy liked her back drove her just as crazy as Muffy. The difference was that the guys Jill had been seeing were doing it on purpose to get her to hook up with them. She didn't think Griffin was really that kind of guy, so there was definitely something going on with him.

"Look, he obviously likes you, he's probably just worried about looking stupid in front of you. Forget age, guys don't change from their teens, and he's always been the shy type. Just give him some time." Jill gave Muffy a pat on the shoulder as Muffy just nodded, believing her, but still frustrated. Jill joined the guys at the bar as Muffy went to her room for a little to get ready for work, since they technically weren't open for another hour.

"Hey Jill. What'll it be?" Griffin asked, looking up from a glass he had been drying. Griffin really was a great guy. He was always very kindhearted to everyone, and Jill had never heard him say a mean thing about anybody. She could see why someone why Muffy – who had her heart broken by countless city guys in her life – would be smitten by him. They were a better fit than they even realized.

"Just a cocktail. Thanks" Jill set the money on the counter and turned to face Gustafa, who had his guitar out...of course. If it wasn't some indie instrument it was lyrics being written on one of the bar napkins. "Written anything good lately?" The farmer asked. She loved his music. It was so much sweeter than anything else she'd ever heard in the city.

"Oh, as always. Especially with Nami as my inspiration." Gustafa bent back over his guitar with a serene look in his eyes. The song grew softer, and sent shivers up Jill's spine. By watching him play, it was impossible not to see the passion that overtook him as he strummed the notes. He looked up for a moment, "Let the sound take you away." and kept on playing.

Jill simply sat there, caught in his music just like always. "Here you are Jill" Griffin set her cocktail down, almost giving her a heart attack, "Sorry bout that" He said leaning against the bar.

She laughed, "It's fine, just thinking. You caught me off guard" She started sipping her cocktail as she looked at the clock. She still had a little time, but she needed to leave soon unless she wanted to listen to her husband and son complaining for the rest of the night about how they had to wait a couple minutes to eat.

"Bout that. How's he doin? I haven't seen him around lately." Griffin looked at the farmer with eyes that cared. A face that honestly wanted her to tell him what was on her mind.

She felt her throat close a little, "You know, I don't really know. He doesn't tell me when things are bothering him anymore. If there were anything wrong I wouldn't know about it until it was an emergency." she took a huge gulp of her drink, "We're supposed to tell each other things, aren't we? I just – I just wish he could share this with me.." she trailed off. She continued to sip her drink as she felt some tears begin to well up.

"Well, have you ever thought about why he isn't telling you?" Griffin asked. The sad farmer shook her head, almost in defeat. "He doesn't want you to see him as someone you have to worry about. Think about it. He already feels defeated with this condition, and the last thing he wants you to do is see him as anything but invincible." Griffin poured himself some scotch and looked up, "After all, he's just a typical guy, right?" he gave her a wink.

Jill gave a mock look of surprise, "You mean you _heard _us?" she chuckled as she took her last sip of cocktail, "and I thought we were being so sneaky about it."

"She knows how I feel, doesn't she?" Griffin asked, some real concern in his eyes.

"Of course she does, she just doesn't realize it yet. It's just that she's used to the city guys that are so up front about anything. Don't worry about it...but if I were you I would tell her how you feel. The suspense is killing the both of us!" The farmer exclaimed, laughing at the whole thing.

Griffin shushed her gesturing to Muffy's bedroom door, but also stifling a chuckle, "Don't you worry, I got it all planned out" He gave her a smile and downed his scotch.

"Oh, you gotta tell me!" The farmer practically bounced in her seat.

"Ya right. So you can blow it? Not a chance. You're gonna have to wait until Muffy tells you about it." He took her empty cocktail glass and his scotch glass and began to wash them.

"Hmmph, fine. You're no fun. Oh well, I gotta get going, or else Marlin and Alex are gonna form a protest" Jill slapped her tip on the counter, waved goodbye to Gustafa, and yelled her goodbye to Muffy, who yelled goodbye through the door. It sounded like she was _still_ in the shower.

It was about 5:00, so her family had to be wondering when she would get home. As she started up the small hill to her home she was trying to figure out what she could make with what was in the fridge. Another salad? Alex might run away if she made a salad for the 3rd night in a row. Casserole? Soup? She groaned in frustration. It was times like these that she wished she lived in the city, if only for the take out.

As she came around the corner she could make out her husband across the farm, sitting under on of the trees. She couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. No matter how long of a day it had been, she couldn't help herself from running to him. Even though if was still a hot and muggy day, it didn't matter. It never mattered how long they had been apart, because at the end of the day, all she wanted was to be with him.

He heard her footsteps and looked up. He had fallen asleep waiting for her to get home, and was somewhat confused. He had no time to defend himself as she threw herself into his lap and her arms around his neck. They both fell into the grass and laughed and she gave him a kiss.

"Hi there" she murmured into his ear as they sat watching the sun-kissed sky fade away into the starry sky. She snuggled up under his head and breathed him in. He smelled like the freshness of the grass and a little like dirt. No doubt he did a fair amount of farm work why she was out.

"Well hi" he chuckled as he kissed the top of her head, "How was your day?" he murmured as he played with a piece of her hair.

"Oh, the usual. Went to the beach, saw Galen, visited with Vesta for a little bit, and I was just at the bar with Muffy, Griffin, and Gustafa." she realized that she really had done a lot today, but also not really anything with much meaning. She looked back on the day and wished there had been more hours so she could've spent some more time at home. "Oh, and Griffin seemed like he wished you were at the bar more. I think he misses his drinking buddy. You should go with me next time" She nuzzled even closer to him and closed her eyes as she absorbed this feeling.

"Hmm, maybe I will" he mumbled, he himself pulling her closer to him as he breathed in her. She smelled like coconut – her favorite shampoo.

"So what did you do today? There's no way you sat here all day waiting for me." She wished she had so much more time to be with him.

"Well, my day started out as usual. You tried oh so hard to be quiet this morning and woke me up anyway.." He looked down at her face and laughed at the sheepish look that had surfaced. "Then as soon as I fell back asleep I heard that bell out in the field.." the farmer buried her face in his shirt. "After that I decided that I would just get up." He gently shook her shoulders until she looked up at him, and he smiled.

"I'm so sorry I woke you up. I didn't me –" she started.

"Don't worry about it! So what if I got up at 7 in the morning. We live on a farm. We're _supposed _to wake up early" he joked. That was one thing he always joked about – farmer stereotypes. He always said he hated how people assumed so many things about their lives simply because they worked on a farm. When Marlin told his friends from the city they all made fun of him. They were picturing some homely girl in overalls with a tooth missing. Their jaws all but hit the ground when they actually saw her for the first time. It was something she would never forget – the look of admiration and pride in Marlin's eyes when he got to show off his "trophy wife." It became a running joke between the 2 of them.

"But still. You should be getting more rest Marlin. You know what Dr. Hardy said about not getting enough rest and over working. I can tell by the dirt spots on your jeans that you were doing some farm work today..weren't you?" She had rolled over and had her head resting in her hands as she looked at him, waiting for his inevitable retaliation.

He let out a deep sigh, "Jill, will you please listen to me?" He raised his eyebrows as he turned his head to make eye contact. "You, Dr. Hardy, Vesta, and everyone else thinks they know how I'm supposed to take care of myself. Everyone tells me that all I need to do is keep this positive attitude up and "take it easy" all the time. How am I supposed to keep a positive attitude when no one thinks I can even make it through a simple day of chores?"

Usually when they got into these kinds of arguments Jill would just keep her mouth shut, let him burn off some stream, and drop the subject all together. She was done feeling helpless. "You. Listen. To. Me" she said, sitting up straight, "It isn't fair to anyone when you act like this. You go through your life expecting all these people that care about you to just go off and live your life in a way that isn't safe. I know you might feel like it isn't fair for you, but think about what I worry about every day! What our _son_ worries about. Even your sister is worried about you! We all want you to be happy, but how can you ever be happy when you keep doing this to yourself?" she swallowed and took a deep breath to steady herself, "Do you realize what this does to _me_? I worry every single day that you aren't going to be there in the morning. I'm terrified of the idea of losing you when we still have to much of life to experience together! So what if that means that a part of our lives will be inside with you getting rest. I don't care! I'll work through this to the very end with you if you'd just_ please_ try to take care of your self. Because I don't – I don't kn – " She choked out, "I don't know if I can ma – make it out with – out you." tears were trickling down her face, and with one last burst of energy, "I can't let you keep going through life making me worry if I'm gonna lose you! I can't take it.."

Marlin couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. He held her as she sobbed into his shirt, all the while stroking the back of her head and whispering in her ear, "It'll be okay. I promise it'll be okay." He hated himself for making her worry about him, but how could he avoid it? He knew there was always a risk for him overworking himself, but how could he get around it? He couldn't stand the idea of living his life to anything but the fullest. But...was it worth him living his life at a constant risk – if even for his own enjoyment – if it made the very reason he had this love of life again so miserable?

He took her shoulders and pulled her from him so he could look her in the eyes. It all but broke his heart to see her so sad. She still had phantom tears on her face as she tried to pull herself together. "I promise that I won't ever leave you alone. No matter what I have to do" he paused as he looked deep into her eyes, "I can't stand the idea of hurting you anymore than I already have, and I couldn't live with myself if I ever were to cause you this kind of pain again."

She sniffed as she wiped away the tears, "Does that mean that you'll take care of yourself from now on? As in no more working till you pass out? Or overexerting yourself?" she took a small breath as a smile creeped onto her face, "That we can be together?"

Marlin gave her a smile as he pushed one of her hairs behind her ear, "If that's what it takes to keep you from worrying so much"

Jill gave the biggest grin in a long time, "Good, because Vesta said she would come over here herself if you weren't more careful with yourself." She laughed at the look of horror in Marlin's eyes. Deep down, she couldn't be completely sure that Marlin was going to change from here on out, but at least she knew that he knew all the things that had been on her mind for so long. He would always have the image in his mind of what his lifestyle could do to her.

"You know, it's kinda weird. Usually couples get mad at each other for not working enough, or spending too much time at the bar. You've discouraged both of those things today." Marlin looked at her with a smile in his eyes. Happy to see that she wasn't crying anymore, but also troubled by the promise he'd made. It felt so wrong to him to not fulfill his role as the man of the house. A part of him felt that it was his job to provide for his wife, and here he was not able to complete a day's chores without passing out. He felt so trapped within himself. He never felt like he could never live up to his potential, and he couldn't help but feel as if he'd let his family down.

But he couldn't do this anymore. After seeing his wife in such a state, he couldn't risk it anymore. How could he? If he were too take it far one too many times he would be abandoning her even more than not being able to do chores. Even though the idea of being a husband that could only do little chores around the farm bothered him to no end, he could still be there for her at the end of the day. He also had to remember that she had this farm under control for a good year before he showed up, and she was pretty amazing at it. They also had Alex, who was getting to the age where he needed to start picking up some of the slack anyway.

Even though it would kill him, Marlin knew that he had to tone down the labor. As much as he would feel unfulfilled, he knew it was the right thing.

"Well if you've noticed, we're not the average couple. Besides, I would never marry a lazy man who spent all his time at the bar. I married a man who loves life with so much passion he forgets to take care of his life. Now _that's _not normal." She winked at him, leaning in to give him a kiss.

"Who needs normal." He mumbled as he met her lips with so much frustration and relief all at the same time. She was right. They both had so much to offer each other, and so much to get out of life. If it meant adapting to a lifestyle that wasn't normal, they would do it. Together.

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**WOO! This took SO LONG to write. Like, usually I take one night to write a story, but this took so many different nights when I would look at what I wrote the previous day and be like, "WTF is this? Was I high last night?" ( I never was, I promise) and I would rewrite a ton of stuff, go on for a little bit, and then repeat everything the next night. It's seriously almost 9 pages on openoffice. I've never written ANYTHING this long. Not even my research paper for Senior Lit. **

**I'm really sorry that I haven't written anything for a looooooong time. In my defense, the last few months of school were PACKED with choir and dance practices, the musical, band stuff, senior activities, graduation, graduation parties, my first job, etc. I've been freakin' busy, but I think I'll be able to update stuff more often now (HOPEFULLY). I'm really sleep-deprived if you can't tell. I'll probably read this in the morning and be like, "Why the heck did I publish this? I'm so weird!" but you know what? I kinda don't care...oh well. I'm not even publishing this at a good time of the week/night. It's like Thursday morning at 1:20-ish. That means my loyal followers/fans (that means YOU) will see this, because you're just awesome like that. Alright, I'm gonna stop here before I say something REALLY stupid...ugh, this was waaay too long.**

**Happy Reading!**

**~Moffy**


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